Pregame Preview: Road trip ends in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI  Catcher Eddy Rodriguez makes his major league debut Thursday as the Padres close a 10-game road trip with a fourth game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Rodriguez, 26, was promoted to the major leagues for the first time Tuesday when rookie catcher Yasmani Grandal went on the 15-day disabled list with a strain in his right oblique muscle.

Carlos Quentin will be back in the Padres lineup Thursday (9:35 a.m.; TV: Fox Sports San Diego; Radio 1090-AM) as the Padres seek a split of their four-game series with the Reds. The Padres are currently 3-6 after the first nine games on the trip.

The Padres will be facing Reds ace Johnny Cueto. Ross Ohlendorf starts for the Padres.

Left fielder Ryan Ludwick, who led the Reds to wins Tuesday and Wednesday with back-to-back, one-homer, four-RBI games, is being given Thursday off by Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Ohlendorf, 29, will be making his sixth start as a Padre and his fourth straight start since he became the fifth man in the rotation after the All-Star break. Ohlendorf is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA in his three starts since the All-Star break. He pitched an inning of relief against the Reds on July 6 at Petco Park, allowing a run on two hits in an inning. Ohlendorf is 2-1 on the road as a Padre with a 6.43 ERA in five games (three starts). He joined the Padres on June 7.

Reds vs. Ohlendorf

Jay Bruce: .214 (3-for-14, 2B, BB, 4 SO)

Miguel Cairo: .500 (3-for-6, HR, 2 SO)

Zack Cozart: .000 (0-for-1, SO)

Ryan Hanigan: .500 (2-for-4, 3 BB)

Chris Heisey: .500 (1-for-2, 2B)

Ryan Ludwick: .125 (1-for-8, 4 SO)

Scott Rolen: .125 (1-for-8, 2B, 2 SO)

Drew Stubbs: .600 (3-for-5, 2B, BB)

Wilson Valdez: .667 (2-for-3)

Reds RHP Johnny Cueto (13-5, 2.39 ERA)

Cueto vs. the Padres: 1-2 career, 6.35 ERA in four starts (1-0 this season, 3.17 ERA in one start).

Cueto at Great American Ball Park: 27-15 career, 3.43 ERA in 62 starts.

Cueto, 26, has the lowest ERA (2.35) in the major leagues since the start of the 2011 season. Bad omens for the Padres today are the facts that Cueto has the lowest ERA (1.36) in the major leagues in day games this season and owns the second-lowest home ERA in the National League (1.94) despite pitching in the Great American Band Box. Cueto has a career-high 13 wins. He has allowed zero or one run in 11 of his first 21 starts and three or fewer in 18 starts. He is 1-2 lifetime against the Padres with a 6.35 ERA in four starts. He is 1-0 against the Padres this season, allowing two runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings July 8 at Petco Park.